do you have mental illness?

Question

patients get told that they must be patient for meds to work & this can mean waiting up to 20 years 4 relief. fact is, in physical medicine there's no such thing-if meds dont work rather quickly then this indicates a change needs 2 occur, not 2 continue along this avenue. this is so common in psychiatric care 4 a reason, & here it is:
they once had homosexuality as a mental disorder but took it out of the DSM manual in 1973-they finally admitted they'd made a mistake worldwide (imagine how many got pills, ECT, hospitalization for nothing)-- they admit this mistake on the famous mayo clinic web site(see link & sources at bottom of this). now in 2007, they've done it again with acute stress disorder which says that after 2 days if you're still in shock & very upset over having been a victim of a violent crime like seeing your whole family get murdered while you were forced to watch it then you have a "disorder" (as if being human is WRONG).
(see below for more)

people must ask themsleves WHY would it be a "disorder" to be normal & feel very upset after 2 days after seeing your family get killed by a murderer rite b4 your eyes? why indeed. and why would they have said being gay was also a "disorder" & then took it back? why indeed.
here's the resources for you to see:
1) a mayo clinic article about how hard it is to tell if someones ill:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mental-health/MH00042
(you'll see they took out homosexuality in 1973 under the heading "mental health as an evolving continuim", last paragraph).
2) this link lists all the DSM IV codes for mental illnesses:
http://www.psychnet-uk.com/dsm_iv/_misc/complete_tables.htm#Code%20#
(click on the entry 300.00 anxiety disorder, then click the 1st one acute stress disorder info sheet)
3) or if you'd like, acute stress disorder info sheet's link can b reached directly here:
http://www.psychnet-uk.com/dsm_iv/acute_stress_disorder.htm

(see below for more)

now, i contend this is the reason people get told meds can take up to 20 years to work:
see the above evidences of making big mistakes? being told you may have to wait that long is ANOTHER MISTAKE--given time, they'll take this back like they took back the homosexuality mistake.

i'm letting you know about the reality of medical errors so i'm leaving this to help anyone who needs it.
i'd suggest if you've had this problem with meds, then seek a better avenue of care.
fact is, you can also look at the evidence of your own experiences with physical medical doctors & ask yourself, "did i ever get this told to me about meds in these cases?" the answer will be NO. there's a reason for that if you look into it.

for another good resource, & also for general help, you may find my 360 yahoo blog helpful:

http://360.yahoo.com/wisefishy

Answer 1

I have OCD, Panic, Anxiety, PTSD. Not a fun tag to have in your life. It is an everyday battle with doctors and therapy. But there is a ton of good help out there. In the end, it is up to the patient to get control of their life and learn how to live better.

Answer 2

I think you are absolutely right, we have a long way to go in the identification and treatment of mental illness.

So many times normal behavior to traumatic events or behavior we don't like or agree with become mental illnesses.

There is enough stigma the way it is...then we have the "false illnesses" which help continue to stigma.

What we need is more advocates like you to point these things out. We need to be careful when we start classifying everything as an illness. We also need to balance that by making sure that proper diagnosis is taking place.

I find it interesting you chose "acute distress disorder". I don't think it is saying being a human being is wrong. I think it is saying that after a couple of days of shock and horror if you need medical treatment, such as anti-anxiety medication, or possibly a stay in a crisis facility there needs to be a diagnosis you insurance will pay for it. So many times insurance companies are looking for ways not to pay for things so diagnosis must be approved to get the payment. Acute does mean temporary. The physician that choses this diagnosis believes the problem will resolve in the short term with time. For someone who has a shocking event happen to them this should be true. It also paves the way if the problem does not resolve so they may term it "chronic". This way insurance companies won't call it a "preexisting" condition.

With your advocacy of "keeping them real" on diagnosis, I hope you will also look at he reasons some of these exists and put pressure on insurance companies to pay for mental health treatment, so acute problems don't have to become chronic to get the help they need.

Answer 3

I never heard of medications "taking 20 years to work." If I had a doctor tell me that, I'd start looking for another doctor.

Acute Stress DIsorder is where someone experiences a traumatic event and has mental health symptoms as a result, lasting from 2 days to four weeks. So you're saying that's bad if someone seeks treatment for that? The doctors are going to have to call it something, or the insurance companies won't pay.

Answer 4

I'm so sorry about your above situation. It sounds like what you are experiencing is post traumatic stress syndrome but I'm not a doctor and can not diagnose. PTSD is a mental disorder but absolutely not abnormal for someone who has gone through what you have.. Don't be ashamed to be told you have a mental disorder. When anyone has gone through similar or even less traumatic events this may happen. Ever heard of "shell shock"? Many people that have fought in wars suffer this from the violence and terrors they experienced during that time, i.e. sudden loud noises, being awakened suddenly, etc. The disorder is in the DSM IV and most often therapy is needed to work through it and yes, often it will take years to "fix", sometimes people never get over it. Doctor's are usually necessary for the patient and sometimes anti depressants and/or sedatives or needed. My guess is that the medications were prescribed will not take "20 years" to work, but often patients need many years of psychotherapy to work through their emotions resulting from these experiences. Psychiatrists spend time talking to patients and discussing the patient's emotions and experiences. Sometimes trauma can cause chemical changes in the brain and these medications are ot unusual to prescribe. I'm sorry for what you have experienced.

Answer 5

No, but my mom is a schizophrenic. Yeah, not very fun during visits. She has been in and out of hospitals going on 11 yrs now. They miss diagnosed her for about 5 yrs w/Bi-polar. I do not know how they can get those mixed up but hey nobody cares anymore. She is one multiple medications. Most of which are suppose to alter a side effect of the previous one. Which is the reason why she still goes to the hospital from time to time. They need a system that is more effective.

Answer 6

Yes, I have a mental illness. I've been dealing with depression for a number of years now, and I've prety much given up on getting the help we all know I seriously need.

Answer 7

Its amazing what jackasses dr's are isn't it?

I got misdiagnosed twice, they overdosed me on medications, and verbally abused... Make you wonder who's mentally ill doesn't it?

Answer 8

THATS PRETTY MESSED UP ....WHY IN THE WORLD DO THEY WANT TO LABEL SOMEONE AFTER HAVING GONE THROUGH SOMETHING THAT TRAUMATIC....THATS THERE WAY OF HAVING ANSWER FOR EVERYTHING